Design Project

Each team will consist of 2-6 students and will pick their own project topic, identify and design a solution or approach, and prepare a 5-minute pitch presentation for a panel of expert judges for the final event on Friday, August 11, 2023.

Goal: Propose a detailed strategy for a product that will be concretely useful for expanding the use of nuclear energy (fission/fusion/battery/etc.) on earth. Dream big. Have fun! 

Scope: This project can be as large or small as you’d like. Think about what can impact nuclear energy in a positive way. We will have specific sessions to help you develop ideas early on in the program. Some example ideas:

• A physical technology like a new temperature sensor or an entire reactor design

• A service that addresses gaps in the current nuclear energy supply chain

• Innovations that support coal-to-nuclear power plant transitions

• Operational improvements like a maintenance strategy or fuel burnup improvement

• Improve potential for success with a new policy framework or financing strategy

• Shift the market with a novel derived product like hydrogen or isotope production

Required Components of the Pitch

Note, to meet the time limit you will need to cover these things concisely. 

• Why: What problem are you solving and why does it matter?

• What: Details of product (What is it and how does it solve the problem? What is differentiating about your solution?)

• How: Market identification and business plan (How big is the market? Why would anyone buy what you’re selling? How much money will you make and how will you make it?)

• How: Regulatory and policy context, if applicable (How does this fit into or require changing regulatory and policy constraints?)

• Who: who are you and why are you the right people for this? (mention key highlights about your team that are differentiating)

• Future: What are you asking for and why? (How much money do you need to accomplish what things in what timeframe? How will that retire risk? What are the critical steps?)

Determining Projects in advance

• We will provide some background reading

• We have some seed projects

• Consider coming up with your own idea ahead of time (and be prepare to change, contract, or expand your idea)

Team 2-part submission

Part 1: Your business plan and financial model

On Thursday afternoon of the second week of the Bootcamp, your team will submit 1) a written business plan and 2) a financial model to the Organizers to be shared with the judges. These are two essential documents for any start-up that you will learn how to make during the two weeks leading up the submission deadline. They will be considered part of your final submission and contribute to the judging of each team’s project. 

• The business plan should be no longer than 5 pages and reflect the lessons learned from the modules you attended during the Bootcamp. Essential sections include an executive summary, an explanation of the business and its management team, the products or services it provides, some basic market and competition analysis, and a marketing or sales strategy. When explaining “employees”, participants should provide brief leadership bios that help to link their company’s leadership experience/expertise to the product they're developing. This section should also address the types of roles/skills they anticipate needing to hire for in the future.  

• The financial model should be an excel spreadsheet that outlines in detail your projected expenses, incomes, and revenue. 

Part 2: The Pitch 

On the last day of the Bootcamp, you will have 5-minutes to pitch your project to a real audience, which will include judges, technical experts, policy and communication professionals, business and startup experts, and others. This will be followed up by five minutes of Q&A.